Koalas dying unecessary deaths because of habitat loss

In the five years between 2009 and 2014, 52 per cent of reported wild koala deaths were caused by car strike, 34 per cent were from a chlamydia-related disease and 14 per cent were because of a dog attack.

UQ Professor of Veterinary Science Joerg Henning said this was likely an underestimate.

"Car strikes, dog attacks and chlamydia-induced illnesses are injuring and killing an incredible number of koalas across the South East Queensland," Professor Henning said.

"This equates to 1,431 koala deaths from a car strike, 943 chlamydia-related deaths, and 395 dog attack deaths in just five years.

"Remember that these deaths were just the reported cases, so the real numbers would be significantly higher."

Koalas were declared endangered in 2022 after organisations including the World Wildlife Federation, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and Australian Koala Foundation estimated Koala numbers had declined 30 to 50 per cent since 2002.

They said the biggest factor was habitat loss due to bushfires and land clearing for agriculture.

Wildlife conservation officer at Taronga Conservation Society Rachael Schildkraut said habitat loss was leading to deaths by car, dog, or disease.

"The number one most threatening process for our native koalas is loss of habitat," she said.

"This loss leads to other threats such as vehicle strikes, disease prevalence, as well attacks from dogs and other feral animals.

"I'm really worried about the upcoming fire season. It does give me a lot of concern for our koalas, but also all of our other native species."

A parliamentary inquiry in NSW found Koalas will be extinct by 2050 unless urgent action is taken to prevent habitat loss.

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